Jonathan Ross pay cut £3m

Jonathan Ross could have his £6m wages halved as BBC bosses line up his rival Graham Norton as the corporation's new chat show star.

Loss: Ross may have salary halved

Managers are said to have told Ross, 48, they "can't go on like this" when his contract comes up for renewal at the end of the year, leaving him reportedly facing a cut of £3m a year.

Norton, 46, has been told his BBC2 chat show will be given a BBC1 slot on Mondays or Wednesdays at 10.35pm - the same time as Friday Night With Jonathan Ross. Insiders claim Norton is lined up as the "face" of BBC1, which they fear may convince Ross to leave.

Norton has reportedly agreed to take a pay cut when his £7.4m deal is renewed later this year. The comedian was praised as the host of Eurovision and has four major BBC projects in progress. A source said: "Norton is going to overtake Ross as the BBC's highest-earning entertainer."

BBC1 controller Jay Hunt said: "We are pushing very hard on talent, telling them we can't go on like this. Is Jonathan immune? Absolutely not."

Ross has been told he must pre-record his Radio 2 show to enable any potentially offensive remarks to be edited.